Mumbai: Work on Chunabhatti-BKC connector may start by end of this month

MMRDA commissioner says development body is expecting a final nod from the state environment body in the next 10 to 15 days, following which the construction work will start

Months after mid-day reported about the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) plan to build a 1.6-km-long connector between Chunabhatti and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), it now looks like the actual construction work might start by February-end.

Commenting on the project, MMRDA commissioner U P S Madan said, “Earlier, we had to take permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for the connector. But, with the amendment of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, the authority to grant permissions now lies with the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

mid-day had reported on August 6, 2014, about the proposed Chunabhatti-BKC connector

The proposal sent to the MoEF will now be forwarded to the MCZMA. And we are expecting to get the final clearance within 10 to 15 days, following which we can start the construction.” Sources claimed that the MMRDA has received an in-principle approval from the MCZMA, and the project would be concluded within 24 months, once actual construction work begins.

“Once we get the final clearance letter from the MCZMA, we can immediately start the work because the contractor has made all necessary the preparations,” another MMRDA official told this correspondent. MMRDA officials claimed that the construction would star by the end of February, upon receiving the MCZMA’s nod.

Besides, the development body would need permission from the railways for the relocation and rehabilitation of around 50 families, whose homes will be making way for the project. MMRDA officials claimed that they have been receiving positive replies from these families.

Crucial connectorExpected to be complete in three years after construction begins, the flyover will help motorists from the eastern suburbs reach the BKC quickly. Currently, it takes over 30 minutes to reach BKC from Chunabhatti by road, and it can take even longer if there is heavy traffic near Sion Circle or on the Sion-Dharavi link road. With the flyover, however, motorists will be able to get to BKC from Chunabhatti in less than 10 minutes.

The routeAs per the blueprint, the connector is supposed to be constructed between G Block (behind Diamond Bourse) of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and an area close to the Somaiya Ground in Chunabhatti, bypassing Maharashtra Nature Park, LBS Marg and the railway tracks. The railways have already given in-principle approval for the project, but the final approval is pending.